Archive for the ‘Danny Ferry’ Category

DiLo and I have long been avid admirers of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Some of our earliest childhood memories stem from cheering on the Cleveland professional sports scene as youngsters, and the Cavs teams of the late ’80’s-early 90’s featuring Mark Price, Brad Daugherty, Larry Nance, Craig Ehlo, and John “Hot Rod” Williams were certainly no exception. But the one man that just might have been the glue of those great Cavs squads throughout his ten-year tenure was Daniel John Willard “Danny” Ferry. Born a man in Baltimore, Maryland on October 17th, 1966, Ferry parlayed a very successful college career with the Duke Blue Devils into being chosen with the 2nd overall pick in the 1989 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers. After refusing to play for the Clips (who wouldn’t?), he was eventually traded to Cleveland before the 1990 season. From there, he became a lynch pin for the successful Cavs teams that seemingly lived in the Conference Finals, yet just couldn’t find a way to get past Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls. With his passion for the game, stunning physique and ravishingly good looks, Danny Ferry was a man that all women wanted and all men wanted to be.In May of this year, we caught wind of some rumor winds speculating that Ferry might be having a get-together with some of the Cavs management in Medina, OH to thank them for all of their hard work in piecing together the huge Shaq trade with the Phoenix Suns. After hearing the rumors, we were highly skeptical of the potential gathering and forgot about it soon after. However, our good buddy Jack Potts placed a call to us in late June describing how the space for his wedding ceremony was under attack from an unknown party that was threatening to outbid the wedding party. Could it be? Could this have been the work of Danny Ferry and his minions? Without wasting another minute, we both booked plane tickets (from Las Vegas and Chicago, respectively) as we had not originally planned on attending the Potts wedding. Simply put, the thought of seeing Danny Ferry up close (and in a bar setting, no less) was simply too tingling a thought to pass up.As the wedding ceremony wore on, we spent about 50% of our time at the bar and 45% searching the premises for the elusive Danny Ferry (there was about 5% taken up by me catching the garter belt).We wandered in and out of every room in the place and questioned every worker without a shred of luck. Our dreams were looking dim, and they were running out of tequila. Then, suddenly, I looked across the dance floor and saw the Man, the Myth, the Legend. Was that really him, or had the booze generated a mirage?? We sprinted across the dance floor with cameras in hand, and ended up with this incredible Kodak moment! Jeb, Danny, and DiLo, like it was meant to be. We had a long chat about the bitter taste of defeat at the end of the Orlando series, the rejuvenation after the incredible trade for Shaq, and then his very recent signing of Anthony Parker. I don’t want to spoil his exact thoughts concerning the upcoming ’09-’10 season, but let’s just say that hopes are sky high in Cleveland. It turns out that he decided not to outbid the Potts wedding, but had just finished a day of golf and decided to wander in to the rocking party. The man was truly a gentleman, and for us two lucky guys, was part of a night that we won’t soon forget. Now, if I could only get this stunning photo autographed…The following morning, as we were recounting our interactions with Danny, we were catching heat from our friends claiming that we were full of shit. We told them we would prove it and we went to get the camera. We passed around the digital camera with our heads held high…that is…until it came around to Jack Potts who quickly proclaimed.

“Hey jackasses, that’s my Dad”.

Whatever, under the extreme state of inebriation I think that anyone would have made the same mistake. DiLo and myself will continue to tell the story how we remember it…

This weekend saw some pretty interesting things happen in both the sporting world and the entertainment world. Some amazing things happened that should not go over looked. The following is a little bit of a wrap up of the weekend that is behind us…or at least some of us. I believe I have a lingering hangover from Saturday night. Is that even possible? Anyways…here we go.Ricky Hatton vs. Manny PacquiaoMan oh man. I haven’t seen someone get knocked out like this in a loooong time. Hatton was defenseless against a stronger, quicker Pacquiao. From the very start of the bout, Manny just dominated. He knocked Ricky down twice in the first round and then knocked him back into his childhood with a crushing left hand that left Hatton motionless for several minutes on the canvas. Before the fight, Floyd Mayweather Jr. unretired and announced a fight with Juan Manuel Marquez. With a win over Marquez, we would be able to see Pretty Boy Floyd take on Manny Pacquiao in a fight that would easily be the biggest pay per view draw for a boxing event. I get chills thinking about it.

Cliff LeeCliff is ranked as the number 1 pitcher in the American League. The problem with that statement is the category. He is number 1 for losses. However, Cliff put in an outstanding outing on Sunday in Detroit. He threw 7 innings giving up only 3 runs (2 in the 7th) with four strikeouts. Lee, in normal Cleveland fashion, could not get any run support from his team. Another problem for Lee was Justin Verlander having a tremendous day as well. Verlander allowed 1 run on two hits in 7 innings. The Tigers were able to give him the support he needed to get the W. Oh ya, he also had 11 strike outs…maniac.

Carl CrawfordCrawford tied a record that only 3 others have ever done since 1900. He managed to steal 6 bases in one game. Six! The funny thing is that Crawford didn’t even know what he had done. The crowd was going nuts and gave him a standing ovation. They put the record up on the scoreboard and still Crawford didn’t know why people were screaming. There is a very good chance that Crawford, with his speed and skills, will get to 100 steals this season. He leads the majors right now with 17.

David HasselhoffThis guy loves to party. A while back, if you remember, Hoffs daughter video taped him eating a burger off the floor in a drunken stupor. Well, this time she found him and didn’t have time to get the video camera. Instead she was busy slapping him and trying to keep him conscious while she dialed her mother to get him to the hospital. Hoffs blood alcohol level was .39%. POINT THREE NINE. The guy had to be close to death with a couple more drinks. I would probably say it would be a good idea if the powers that be remove his daughter from his custody. The guy can’t even take care of himself.

Mine that BirdThe only reason I am bringing up the Kentucky Derby is because a horse that had odds of 50-1 won the damn race. Normally, I would just say something like “wow, wish I would have bet that”. In this case, I was ready to go bet that. I had written down 5 horses that I wanted to put money on. Just a little bit of money, like $5-$10. Well, due to my inability to manage my time correctly, I was unable to get to the sports book to put in these bets. No big deal right? I probably would have been way off anyway. Below is the scratch paper that I wrote my picks on. F my life.Enemy of The MonthThe enemy of the month for May is going to be Rajon Rondo. Pretty much because he is a cocky little bastard and thinks he can do and say as he pleases. Also, we don’t like him because he plays for Boston. I think that’s fair. So congratulations to Rajon Rondo. No one likes you.

Danny FerryI have to give props to Mark Warkentien, VP of basketball operations for the Denver Nuggets, because he did unload the cancer that is Allen Iverson and brought in the team glue that is Chauncey Billups. That move alone is what turned the Nuggies into NBA playoff contenders. Although, I think Danny Ferry kind of got hosed. He made an abundance of good choices. How about getting Mo Williams? How about not making waves with a trade at the deadline? How about when we needed a big man, he went and got someone he knew the team would mesh well with. The team chemistry he has created in Cleveland far surpasses anything I have ever seen in professional sports. Danny Ferry deserves the Exec of the Year just as much, or in my opinion more so, than Mark Warkentien. Good Job Danny!

King JamesObviously I am going to save the best of all for last. Congratulations to LeBron James for becoming the second youngest player to win the NBA Regular Season MVP award. He was dominant on both sides of the ball this year and his dedication and hard work paid off. He led his team to the best overall record in the NBA and the best home record of 39-2. Come back soon for Jeb’s post honoring LeBron James for winning his first of many MVP awards.